In 2019, residents of the West Boulevard corridor, in partnership with the city of Charlotte, released a 108-page plan envisioning the kind of community they wanted. The plan, called the West Boulevard Corridor Playbook, prioritized economic development, transportation improvements, retail amenities, and improved visual appeal.
Now two years later, parts of the vision will become reality.
At West Boulevard and Remount Road, an intersection considered by some residents to be a gateway to their neighborhoods, the city will begin making infrastructure improvements. Among them: a decorative plaza, a multi-use path, bus shelters, pedestrian lighting, landscaping, crosswalks, wheelchair ramps and more.
The enhancements will be made under the city’s “Corridors of Opportunity” initiative — a multi-year effort to reverse decades of civic neglect in six predominately Black communities now plagued by crime and poverty. So far, the City Council has voted to spend $38.5 million to make improvements along the six corridors.
Still unknown are many factors, including the total cost of the West Boulevard improvements and what the plan actually entails. But Lorna Allen, a senior planner with the city’s Urban Design Center, said community and public meetings will be held, starting this fall, to offer details and get residents’ input.
The official design process will begin in early 2022.
Allen said the West Boulevard improvements will reflect the corridor’s history and culture.
Read more at QCity Metro
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